Absence
by Ed's Tomato
Summary: AU. Much can happen in two years. After receiving a frantic letter from one of his brothers, Leonardo must struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

-Alright, I'm feeling Turtley for the first time in quite awhile, with the new movie coming and all. I haven't written on them or watched anything with them in quite some time. Also, I wasn't an avid reader of the comics (I read a couple a looooong time ago). I watched the movies and the old cartoon show, and some of the newer cartoon episodes as well, but if I don't seem in character I'm sorry, please forgive me and don't flame. Raph's my favorite, and I miiiight be using him for my own devices and making things up as I go. Definitely AU since I don't know exactly what happened in the plotline. Hope you can enjoy it anyway. (Also. I own nothing Turtle related which is a bummer for me, and I am not at all familiar with the customs of Martial Arts practicing monasteries so I had to wing it. No insult intended to anyone if I mucked something up.) -

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Chapter One: The Letter.

Word came, up the high slopes of the mountain. Up the hundreds of steps to the temple, where few traveled. A messenger boy from the village below stood in the entrance hall, breathing hard, and stuttering out that he had a letter for Master Leonardo.

The man, or rather, mutant turtle, in question was running through his fourth complicated kata of the morning in the relative silence and privacy of a small back room in the temple. He relished the stillness of this place, the view of the grand snow covered peaks from his windows. The serenity and peace he'd felt upon entering its doors.

He felt focused here in a way he'd never felt in the midst of a bustling city. In the company of his three loud brothers. Well, in all fairness, only two of them were loud.

When he took a deep breath, he still could marvel at the clean air, the scent of cherry blossoms blown up to him from the village below. This place, in all its tranquility, had never become monotonous for him. He doubted very much it ever would. He admitted to himself sometimes when he was alone, that he would very much like to stay here for the rest of his life. Become Master and teacher; pass on what he had learned.

There came the soft sliding sound of his door being opened, and he looked up to see one of the elders he trained with most often. Master Wan held in his hand what looked like a letter, and his face, usually so serene, looked quite somber indeed.

The young messenger had been sent away: given food and rest and coin and hurried back down the mountain, he could not be permitted to see Leonardo, but still it was strange a Master himself would deliver such a letter. It was strange to receive a letter at all, here.

Leonardo paused in his kata and stepped forward, kneeling before the Master, feeling doubt cloud his mind. Who could be sending him word? Was it serious? He had often worried of Master Splinter's health. Could something have happened to him?

Master Wan pressed the parchment into his pupil's three-fingered hand. His worry for his young charge grew. He had read the letter, as he read all that went in and out of this temple, to determine it for good or ill. Leonardo would leave and his training was yet to be completed. But he must go, Master Wan had no illusions about that. He uttered no word yet, leaving the young man to read in privacy.

Leonardo unfolded the paper, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recognized the handwriting.

_Leo,_

_I'm sure you're busy training up wherever you are. I just hope this gets to you in time. I'm in trouble. Haa haa, surprise, surprise, I know. I wouldn't have written if it wasn't bad. It's more than I can handle. You know it's not easy for me to ask for help, maybe I should have asked long before this. I know I should have. I'm in Santa Cruz, California. Someone followed me here. What's left of the Foot maybe. I don't know who they are, but they're strong. I've got a lot of explaining to do, I know that, but I'll do it if you get here in time. If you don't. It doesn't matter. If you don't. It's not your fault, Leo._

_-Raphael_

An address was scrawled hastily on the back of the letter. Leonardo's frown was deep, his shoulders squared. No, Raph wouldn't have written unless he was really in trouble. The way he was so easily relinquishing blame too. Telling Leonardo that it wasn't his fault if he didn't make it there in time. That scared him. Who knew how long it had taken the letter to reach him. He had to leave immediately.

He hadn't seen his brother in just over two years now, there was no telling what he'd gotten himself into. He'd thought Raphael capable of handling himself at this point. After everything that had happened with the Foot the first time. The comatose state his brother had been in for those first few weeks at the farm. Did he learn nothing?

Remnants of the Foot? It was possible, though he didn't find it probable, they and the police with them, had cleaned out that stronghold rather thoroughly. Of course, he'd thought that the first time as well. At least the Shredder was dead. Someone could have taken his place.

Leonardo slid his katanas into their sheaths on his back and hefted a bag with supplies over his shoulder. He'd have to travel at night, see if he could get a flight back to the states. Any wasted time made his stomach crawl, but getting here he'd had to wait a week to find transport. He didn't have time for that now, nor the slow passage of a ship.

He hovered near the doors of the Temple saying his goodbyes as night fell. He'd promised to return, and intended to keep his word, but who knew what lay in store for him. It had been so long since he'd worn his trench coat and hat to keep away from the scrutinizing gaze of humans that the articles felt foreign over his body. He'd gotten soft in some ways, even as his skills were honed, comfortable here where he didn't have to hide what he was.

He started out as the shadows lengthened, the long trek down the steps made in time to reach the village below by nightfall. He moved silently, barely a whisper, preparing himself mentally for what he might find in Santa Cruz. His brother's dead body was what he most feared. If he'd come a month, a week…even an hour too late to save him… He had to squash down feelings of anger at the hotheaded turtle for always getting himself into scrapes like this. Always putting his life on the line. At least he'd asked for help this time, even if help might come too late. But just the fact that he'd asked was enough to make Leonardo worry all the more.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Death

When Leonardo reached his destination, he knew just by the thickness of the air, the stillness around him, that he was too late. He felt his hand shake as he reached out to push open the rickety door to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. The smell hit him almost immediately and it was only good training that kept him from stumbling now, when it was so overpowering. The stench of blood.

He stepped over a corpse, male and human, his face covered much like the foot's had been, though the garb had its differences. Beyond him lay what appeared to be the dead man's allies. Corpses, some stacked atop one another fallen at weird angles littered the floor, left where they'd fallen. He couldn't imagine that Raphael could have survived such an onslaught alone, but in some grim way he felt hope in seeing none, of what must be the enemy, left alive.

He looked up sharply as a soft sound came to him and moving carefully, avoiding bodies and blood he made his way toward it. He felt relief wash over him, even as worry settled back in when he saw his brother sitting on the floor and bent over a body he was cradling in his arms, his shoulders shaking and the soft sounds of crying very hard to mistake.

"Raph?" Leo warned him gently of his arrival, as not to startle him, but the turtle didn't move in either recognition or fear. Leo replaced the sword he'd unconsciously drawn back in its sheath and padded over to Raphael, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Standing above and behind him gave Leo a better vantage to see the body his brother cradled. Very pale skin, the chin tilted back in death, her long black hair trailing on the cold concrete, it's tips stained red with the blood from her slit throat that pooled all around them. A few long faded scars the only proof that she'd led an unsheltered life. Small hands, a petite form, the swell of her belly unmistakable.

"Leo?" Raphael's cracked voice broke the stillness, as though he'd only just become aware that he wasn't alone.

"I'm here Raph," He promised his brother, moving around to kneel facing him, his arms outstretched to take the burden of the woman.

Raphael looked torn for a moment, but something snapped and he let Leo take over, gently nestling the slain girl in the other's arms. Stumbling to his feet when Leonardo rose to his.

Raphael was obviously exhausted, his body every bit as bloody as the woman he'd held. Leo could make out fresh slices and deep looking punctures, but his brother was on his feet, his breathing hysterical, but not labored. It was too early to ask him what happened, or who this woman had been, Leo would just get them out of here and deal with the details later.

Weaving a trail through the bodies, Leo managed to make their way to the door, pushing it open with his shell; very careful of the precious cargo he carried. Raphael winced at the bright light of day as he stepped outside; there was no telling how long he'd sat there with her. Indeed she was already stiff with rigor mortis.

There was a beat up pickup truck in the parking lot a few feet away. Either it had been the woman's or Raphael's or belonged to one of the corpses inside. Regardless, Leonardo planned to make use of it. As he headed over to it, he turned his head to watch Raphael produce a key. His brother seemed to be walking as though through a dream, but at least he was functioning.

Once the door was unlocked, Leonardo carefully situated the young woman in the back seat, reaching to shut those unseeing blue eyes before turning back to Raph. The other turtle didn't look as though he was seeing much either, just sort of leaning against the truck and staring off into space. Leo took the key out of his hand and put a hand on his shoulder, forcing his gaze to come back to the present.

Raphael blinked and made eye contact, and Leo almost faltered for a moment seeing the complete and utter despair mapped out so plainly in his brother's eyes. The hand on Raph's shoulder squeezed supportively.

"I'm here. I'll take care of everything," Leo promised him, silently adding to himself, _I'm so sorry I didn't make it in time, Raphael_. Raphael nodded slightly, indicating he'd heard him. He just wasn't ready to deal with anything yet.

Leo got him into the cab of the truck and shut the door before going to the driver's side. They all needed to get as far away from the carnage in that warehouse as possible. They had to find someplace nice to bury the woman that obviously meant a lot to Raphael. The only spot that came to mind was April's old farmhouse.

Sucking in a deep breath he started the pickup and backed out of the parking lot, and shifting, onto the road that ran down from the main highway to the wharfs. He chanced glances at Raphael along the trip, his forehead pressed against the glass of his window, just staring out, looking pale.

_He probably hasn't eaten anything in days_, Leonardo realized, wishing they could chance a drive through or something, but he'd have to hold out until nightfall at least. Leo fought his own tension as he changed lanes and got onto the Interstate. It would be a drive to upstate New York, especially with a corpse in the back and his brother not saying anything. He'd give him a little while and then try to draw him back out again.

Leo's eyes raked over the other turtle's form as he drove. He took in the wounds he was most concerned about; he wracked his brain about how they were going to tend to them without even the trench coat disguises that they usually wore. His had been discarded as excess bulk on his way to the warehouse, opting for ninja stealth and warrior instincts over plain costume.

Still, Leo didn't plan to make his brother's wounds wait until New York; something would have to be done. After much inward struggle he decided at nightfall he'd break in somewhere and take what he needed, leaving the money for it. He didn't have much, but he'd have to use it.

His mind traveled on to the woman his brother had been so lovingly holding upon his arrival. Who was she? It had been two years, and he supposed anything was possible. A friend in need perhaps? But that bulge in her stomach and the way that Raphael was nearly comatose now with grief…it wasn't possible was it?

He and Donatello had discusses it in length before, the probability that they were even capable of procreating with something that wasn't of their abnormal species. Since technically, they were half human, mutated to be that way by the strange ooze created by TGRI, Donatello had speculated there was a small chance of conception, though he couldn't imagine what sort of creature would be the result of such a union.

Being honest with himself, Leonardo hadn't really thought any of them would ever get the opportunity to worry about such a thing. Of course, he had no proof that this was the relationship between his brother and the dead woman, and in all likelihood it wasn't. No, he decided, she was a friend. Probably a very good friend, and Raphael was helping her out in her time of need. Maybe the father of the child was a violent man. He felt proud of Raphael at the thought.

Leonardo acknowledged the guilt he felt about this. He'd been gone, and out of contact too long with his brothers. _Anything could have happened._ And it had. He felt a swell of sudden worry for Donatello and Michelangelo, Master Splinter and April…and Casey. Raphael was the most bullheaded of the group, the most prone to trouble, but two years was a long time, anything at all could have happened to any of them.

With a glance at his brother then, Leo wondered why he'd been the only one contacted. Was it possible his other brothers were on their way to find a warehouse full of corpses and no sign of Raphael? He sighed after a moment, realizing there were too many questions he needed answered.

"Did you contact Mike or Donnie?" He broke the silence apologetically.

Raphael looked up at him, blinking to clear his mind and then shaking his head in answer. No, he hadn't contacted them. It had only been Leo. He'd believed Leo would make it in time. _Damnit Raphael, why did you put all of this one me?_ One of the others might have been closer. One of the others might have made it in time.

"Where we goin'?" Raph asked in an absent, uninterested tone.

"The farmhouse," Leonardo answered, glancing at Raphael to judge how he felt about that. He received a slight nod. He was fine with it. He would have been all right with following Leonardo back to Japan, or Hell.


End file.
